HELD (BACK) Synonyms: 107 Similar and Opposite Words

held back

verb

past tense of hold back

as in hampered

to create difficulty for the work or activity of the only thing holding them back from joining the swim team is lack of transportation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stifled

to refrain from openly showing or uttering held back her tears until she was alone

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of held back Specifics of the arrangement are being held back for the launch. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Nov. 2026 Treble is pronounced and somewhat sharp, but it’s also held back by the compression of AAC, which keeps the cymbals and various pads from sounding lifelike and pristine. — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026 Kids who attended public school pre-K were 35% less likely to be held back in third grade compared with the other groups. — Adam Winsler, The Conversation, 2 Nov. 2026 Congressional challenges and a lawsuit are casting doubts on the DOJ's claims and demanding the release of more documents that were held back. — Daniel Ruetenik, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 The company has been investing heavily into the business, which has held back earnings in recent quarters and, in turn, the stock. — Zev Fima,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026 Primaries Kenny and Christina have long wanted to come to Thailand, but have been held back by Christina’s lethal nut allergy. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026 Some are held back by the barriers that are typically associated with starting to sell in a new place, like learning new customs and speaking the language. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026 Yamamoto was held back for this game while Skubal started the opener, but Yamamoto shouldn’t take a back seat to anyone anymore this postseason. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for held back

Verb

Severe weather has hampered some recovery efforts, and weather remains a key focus of the investigation.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Barkley, still hampered by injuries, rushed for only 30 yards and a long run of five yards on 13 carries.

— CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of hampered

Verb

On a Monday night when the Bears defense stifled the Seahawks for much of the game, a takeaway was the only thing missing.

— Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
Like many Jewish sites across Eastern Europe, where the Nazis’ annihilation was followed by decades of Soviet rule that stifled Jewish memory and communal life, the school’s history had been buried.

— Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of stifled

Verb

Overall, Ukraine’s air defenses shot down or suppressed 196 Russian drones overnight into Friday.

— Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Edison mentions an abusive boyfriend of Leonora’s, and there is one scene, set at a public park, where some of Arlo’s suppressed trauma flares violently into the open.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of suppressed

Verb

The rangers moved the man off the glacier and made multiple attempts to airlift the man off the mountain, but rescue efforts were impeded by inclement weather.

— Tim Fang, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
In his ruling, Judge Joseph Montano found that prosecutors had impeded grand jurors who wanted to hear from defense witnesses.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of impeded

Verb

Unfortunately for us, those tenants have evolved a sticky knack for evading eviction, creating a webbing known as biofilm that prevents them from being easily licked or swallowed away.

— Mike McRae, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026
The collapse swallowed part of the driveway and damaged the deck of the Spider-Noir actor’s property.

— Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of swallowed

Verb

The Jets have already been embarrassed by the Bears and Dolphins this season.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
The colliding scandals embarrassed the city of South Lake Tahoe, a Sierra Nevada enclave of about 21,000 people near the Nevada border, where residents addressed the situation at an emotional City Council meeting last year.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of embarrassed

Verb

The construction of Terminal B also partially obstructed air traffic controllers’ views of two taxiways.

— Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026
The technology helps robots manipulate objects and navigate around obstacles using touch, including when visual information is unavailable or obstructed.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026